A Winnipeg woman pleaded to be released on bail Wednesday, three days after police arrested her allegedly driving her children to school while drunk.
“I will do anything, I miss my children horribly,” said Colleen Denysiuk. “I don’t want people to look at me and think I’m a horrible mother. I want a better life.”
Court heard Denysiuk allegedly rear-ended another vehicle and drove off without exchanging particulars with the other driver. Police saw the collision and followed her to a nearby school where she dropped off her two young children.
Police arrested Denysiuk, who registered blood-alcohol readings of .322 — more than four times the legal limit for driving.
“The facts of this offence are outrageous,” said Crown attorney Raegan Rankin. “She is so very lucky (she didn’t) hurt anybody. Her children deserve better, so do any other children walking to school at nine in the morning.”
Denysiuk, 42, claimed she hadn’t been drinking for 24 hours prior to her arrest and was “baffled” at her blood-alcohol readings. Denysiuk said she had been ill and was taking cough medications.
“This has been a wake-up call, a very sobering experience both literally and figuratively,” said her lawyer, Ian McNaughton.
Judge Ray Wyant said he didn’t believe the cough medicine excuse for a second and urged Denysiuk to commit herself to quit drinking.
“A reading of .3 would kill almost anyone in this room who wasn’t an experienced drinker,” Wyant said. “You put (your children’s) lives at risk not only on this occasion but probably every other time you drove a motor vehicle impaired and you put the lives of other mom’s children at risk, too.”
Wyant agreed to release Denysiuk on $2,500 bail on the proviso she undergo a program of alcohol addiction counselling.
Publication bans are used frequently in bail hearings that prohibit details of the case be heard. None were requested in this instance.
This woman is an alcoholic and doesn't need prison; she needs help and assistance with her problem. I am glad the judge granted her bail. Prison would only cause more hurt in her family as her children would be taken away from her. I agree with the judge, that she definitely needs alcohol addiction counseling.
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